Robert Bell's
Wines of Canada
Since 1992
The Conseil des appellations
The Conseil des appellations réservés et des termes valorisants was created in 2006 by the Government of Quebec to promote and ensure the authenticity of distinctive local bio-food products for the benefit of communities. The purpose of the act is to protect designations given to specific agricultural and food products. Reserved designations are governed by strict specifications and subject to external certification by accredited certification bodies.
The IGP Vin du Québec is reserved for still wines (white, red and rosé), sparkling wines (sparkling wine and sparkling wine) and sweet wines (late harvest wine, selective late harvest wine and wine from raisined grapes) sold in accordance with approved specifications.
Vin du Québec is made only using hybrid grape varieties and Vitis vinifera, grown in the defined geographical area. The hybrid grape varieties that represent a majority of the grape varieties of Vins du Québec, and more recently the Vitis vinifera, require adequate winter protection by means of ridging systems or geotextile fabrics.
The oenological characteristics of the different hybrid grape varieties used vary significantly according to the genetics of each one, as well as according to the various soils and climatic zones in which they grow. In the white wines that are made from it, there is generally a tangy structure that is characterized by a good freshness in the mouth, as well as a beautiful liveliness and minerality. Aromatically, there are notes of green apple, pear, honey, citrus and exotic fruits. Red wines are known to have a very high content of anthocyanins (natural coloured pigments). On the other hand, their tannin content is low.
In a context of growth in the global wine market, the IGP Vin du Québec is a guarantee of quality and recognition and a promotional tool that makes it possible to better communicate to consumers what makes the wines to which it is granted specific.
Le Conseil des appellations réservées et des termes valorisants a été créé en 2006 par le gouvernement du Québec afin de promouvoir et d’assurer l’authenticité de produits bio-alimentaires locaux distinctifs au profit des communautés. L’objet de la loi est de protéger les désignations accordées à des produits agricoles et alimentaires particuliers. Les désignations réservées sont régies par des spécifications strictes et soumises à une certification externe par des organismes de certification accrédités.
L’IGP Vin du Québec est réservé aux vins tranquilles (blanc, rouge et rosé), aux vins mousseux (vin mousseux et vin mousseux) et aux vins doux (vin de récolte tardive, vin sélectif de récolte tardive et vin de raisins secs) vendus conformément aux spécifications approuvées.
Reflecting its mission, the organization is made up of the following services:
- General management is responsible for providing support to the Board and expert committees, for activities concerned with human, financial and material resources, and functions concerned with general business.
- The reserved designation and added-value claims recognition and maintenance service assists designation projects and the processing of applications for recognition. It sets the conditions for examining applications for recognition of a designation by producing various regulations and reference documents.
- The public and industry information service provides information to consumers, businesses and the various partners.
- The surveillance service monitors the use of reserved designations and added-value claims by businesses that market agricultural or food products and in stores where they are sold.
- The Quality Assessment Accreditation Committee (CAEQ) handles the accreditation of certification bodies. CAEQ is responsible both for evaluating certification bodies seeking accreditation and for monitoring the certification activities of those that are accredited.
- The information systems maintenance service handles the dissemination of information about businesses holding certification for products bearing a reserved designation or using an added-value claim.
The Board is made up of nine members. Two members are appointed by the Conseil des Ministres: the President and CEO and the Québec government representative. The remaining seven members are chosen by the Conseil de Promotion de l'Agroalimentaire Québécois (CPAQ) from candidates put forward by associations representingthe industry.
Accreditation process
Once a reserved designation has been recognized, an external certification body ensures that the specifications manual is rigorously applied and certifies products to which the reserved designation is granted. Certification of a reserved-designation product by an external body ensures that criteria of independence, impartiality, confidentiality and competence are met, in accordance with recognized international requirements. Certification guarantees the consumer that all the criteria in the accredited specifications manual for the product have been met, and that the product's traceability is established.
In Québec, certification bodies must be accredited in order to be able to certify products bearing a reserved designation or added-value claim. As stipulated in the Act respecting Reserved Designations and Added-Value Claims, this mission is carried out by the Comité d'Accréditation en Évaluation de la Qualité (CAEQ) – a technical unit of the Conseil specializing in accreditation. It is thus responsible, on the one hand, for evaluating the competence of certification bodies applying for accreditation and, on the other hand, for monitoring certification activities to maintain that of those who are already accredited.
The accreditation process is made up of several important stages through which the certification body must demonstrate that it has the necessary competencies. CAEQ auditors examine files and then conduct audits in person, either in the office of the certifying body or in the field, in order to determine whether the certification body's personnel are qualified for the task. These audits are exhaustive and take several days. Some are done without prior notice. The examinations may be conducted over a period of 6 to 12 months. Once they are complete, the certification body receives a written authorization known as an "attestation of accreditation" or "certificate of accreditation."
Thereafter, certification bodies are assessed continuously and independently by the CAEQ to check that the standards and requirements of the specifications manual continue to be met. Any substantial failing that is not corrected may lead to suspension or cancellation of accreditation.
In this way, accreditation of certification bodies provides twofold verification for the benefit of consumers plus a guarantee that current national and international standards are rigorously applied. It can also facilitate national and international exchanges of certified products through mutual recognition of accreditation and certification between the various players.
Certification Requirements
All stages of the production of IGP Vin du Québec products must be carried out within the defined geographical area.
The vineyard must produce at least 50 % of the total weight of fresh grapes or must intended for the production of the product(s) it vinifies, the rest coming from winegrowers located in the PGI zone and strictly complying with the rules listed in the appropriate specifications.
The effervescence of IGP Vin du Québec products of the "sparkling wine" and "sparkling wine" type must come exclusively from a second fermentation of the wine in the bottle (traditional method), from primary or secondary alcoholic fermentation in a closed vat (closed vat method or Charmat method) or from primary and secondary alcoholic fermentation in the bottle, without the addition of exogenous carbon dioxide (ancestral method).
The specifications define all the chemical and organoleptic characteristics of the PGI Vin du Québec.
The actual alcoholic strength of the products may not be less than 7 % by volume for sweet wines, 8 % for white, rosé and sparkling wines, or 9.5 % for red wines, and it must be less than 15 % by volume. The residual sugar as well as the acquired and potential alcohol content of products of the " late harvest", " selective late harvest" and " raisined " types must come exclusively from the natural sugar of the grapes.
At the end of the production process, the wines are analysed by an independent laboratory and are evaluated by an approval committeebefore they can bear the appellation.
Recent News
The Conseil des appellations réservés et des termes valorisants is launching analysis work for two new appellation projects, the first of which will highlight spirits made from Quebec raw materials, distilled, aged and bottled in Quebec. This first project was submitted by the Association des microdistilleries du Québec (AMDQ) and the Association des distilleries artisanales du Québec (ADAQ), which recently joined forces under the name of the Union québécoise des microdistilleries (UQMD).
In the same vein, the Union des distillateurs de spiritueux d'érable has filed with the Conseil an application for a protected geographical indication (PGI) for a maple brandy called Acerum, which is obtained exclusively by distilling alcohol from the fermentation of maple water, maple water concentrate or maple syrup from Quebec.
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Wines of Canada was developed and designed by Robert (Bob) Bell of Whi make or sell wine. Support is welcome as are suggestions and comments; should you see something that needs to be corrected please let us know.